Review Article Medicinal uses and biological activities of Vitex negundo Vishal R Tandon Post Graduate Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics GMC, Jammu-180 001, Jammu & Kashmir, India E-mail: [email protected] Correspondence address: Plot 5/B, Near Arya Samaj Bakshi Nagar, Jammu-Tawi - 180 001, Jammu & Kashmir, India Abstract surface of the leaves are green and the lower surface are silvery in colour. Flower bluish purple, black when ripe, whereas Vitex negundo Linn. is credited with innumerable medicinal activities roots cylindrical, long woody, tortuous like analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, antioxidant, bronchial relaxant, with grey brown colour (Prasad & Wahi, hepatoprotective, etc. The ethanolic extract of leaves has been found safe as LD 50 1965). The plant can grow on nutritionally dose (by oral route) of it was recorded in non-toxic dose range. Larger trials are poor soil. required to prove its all activities before it is recommended in future for clinical use, but it carries a great potential to be developed as a drug by the pharmaceutical industry. In this paper general medicinal uses and pharmacological activities of Medicinal Uses various parts of the plant have been reviewed. Plant is bitter, acrid, astringent, Keywords: Vitex negundo, Sambhalu, Nirgundi, Medicinal uses, Analgesic, cephalic, stomachic, antiseptic, alterant, Antiinflammatory, Anticonvulsant, Antioxidant, Insecticidal, Pesticidal. thermogenic, depurative, rejuvenating, ophthalmic, anti-gonorrhoeic, IPC code; Int. cl.7 ⎯ A61K 35/78, A61P 1/00, A61P 17/00 antiinflammatory, antipyretic and useful in bronchitis, asthma and enlargement of Introduction known as Five-leaved Chaste tree or spleen. Roots are tonic, febrifuge, anti- Monk’s Pepper (Hindi — Sambhalu, rheumatic, diuretic, expectorant and are Herbal medicine is the oldest Nirgundi) is used as medicine fairly useful as a demulcent in dysentery, in form of healthcare known to mankind and throughout the greater part of India and cephalalgia, otalgia, colic, uropathy, it will not be an exaggeration to say that found mostly at warmer zones and wound and ulcers. Bark is useful in use of herbal drug for human healthcare ascending to an altitude of 1500m in outer odontalgia, verminosis and is probably as ancient as mankind. A Western Himalayas (Wealth of India — ophthalmopathy. Leaves are aromatic, perfect example of medicinal plant Raw Materials, 1976; Chopra et al, 1956). bitter, acrid, astringent, anodyne, anti- credited with innumerable medicinal The Nirgundi plant is a large inflammatory, antipyretic or febrifuge, qualities validated by modern science and aromatic shrub or sometimes a smaller tranquillizer, bronchial smooth muscle used since ancient times is Vitex Linn. slender tree with quadrangular, densely relaxant, anti-arthritic, antihelmintic and (Family — Verbenaceae). The genus whitish tomentose branchlets up to 4.5- vermifuge. Flowers are cool, astringent, consists of 250 species of which about 14 5.5m in height. Bark thin, yellowish grey; carminative, hepatoprotective, digestive, species are found in India and some have leaves 3-5 foliolate; leaflets lanceolate; febrifuge, vermifuge and are useful in commercial and medicinal importance. terminal leaflets 5-10 ×1.6-2.3 cm, lateral haemorrhages and cardiac disorders. Vitex negundo Linn., commonly one smaller, all nearly glabrous. Upper Fruit is nervine, cephalic, aphrodisiac, 162 Natural Product Radiance Review Article emmenagogue and vermifuge (Husain et administration of some leaf and root of standard drugs like Aspirin and al, 1992; Chopra et al, 1956). extracts using different solvents showed Meperidine. Moreover, they indicated that analgesic activity. Ethanol and cold Naloxone did not reverse the analgesia Chemical Constituents aqueous leaf extract showed only weak induced by the extract, indicating that effect in acetic acid writhing test. Whereas, central analgesic action is not mediated Leaves contain an alkaloid chloroform and toluene leaf extracts through opioid receptors. nishindine, flavonoids like flavones, raised the threshold of tail-flick response luteolin-7- glucoside, casticin, iridoid moderately. While studying the root extract Antiinflammatory activity glycosides, an essential oil and other of the plant, ethanol extract significantly constituents like vitamin C, carotene, increased threshold of tail-flick response. The experimental studies using gluco-nonital, benzoic acid, β-sitosterol The chloroform extract showed moderate, various animal models have demonstrated and C-glycoside (Husain et al,1992). butanol and cold aqueous root extract that different parts of the plant especially Seeds contain hydrocarbons, β-sitosterol, produced marked effects in acetic acid leaves, fruits, roots and seeds possess anti- benzoic acid and phthalic acid (Husain induced writhing method. In another study inflammatory and anti-arthritic activity et al, 1992), antiinflammatory diterpene, the methanolic leaf extract when given by (Chaturvedi & Singh, 1965; Ravishankar flavonoids, artemetin and triterpenoids I.P. route has been found to possess et al, 1985, 1986; Chawla et al, 1991, (Chawla et al, 1991, 1992). Fatty acids, analgesic properties. It also potentiated 1992; Tamhankar & Saraf, 1994; Jana β-sitosterol, vanillic acid, Morphine and Pethidine induced et al, 1999). However, possible p-hydroxybenzoic acid and luteolin have analgesia significantly in dose dependent mechanism of antiinflammatory activity been isolated from bark (Husain et al, manner in mice using hot plate method was indicated (Telang et al, 1999) as an 1992). Stem bark yields as an experiment (Gupta et al, 1999). inhibitory action on prostaglandin leucoanthocyanidins (Husain et al, 1992; Telang et al (1999) evaluated the biosynthesis. Recently, Dharmasiri et al Chopra et al, 1956). analgesic activity of aqueous methanol leaf (2003) suggested that leaves have extract on oral administration and results antiinflammatory and analgesic properties Pharmacological Activities showed both central and peripheral mediated via PG synthesis inhibition, analgesic action in acetic acid writhing antihistamine, membrane stabilizing and Analgesic activity and tail immersion test comparable to antioxidant activities. V. negundo, which Salicylate and Pethidine hydrochloride, is known to act by prostaglandin Ravishankar et al (1985, 1986) respectively. In rat uterus preparation, they inhibition, may be expected to cause found that interperitoneal (I.P.) noticed the inhibitory action of extract on gastric damage but on the contrary it prostaglandin (PG) biosynthesis and produced no histomorphological changes thereby confirming non-steroidal anti- in the stomach even in toxic doses inflammatory (NSAID’s) like activity. In (Tandon & Gupta, 2004). This may be due their study they also observed that leaves to a selective COX-2 inhibition that might (crude basis) also contain 1.30% be responsible for its NSAID’s like activity. flavonoid compounds. Recently, Gupta and However, this aspect still needs to be Tandon (2004) also suggested that established. ethanolic leaf extract of this plant possesses analgesic activity, which appears Anticonvulsant activity to be due to PG inhibition and reduction of oxidative stress. They suggested in their The plant has been studied for its study that sub-therapeutic doses of this anticonvulsant activity. The petroleum and Vitex negundo plant could potentiate the analgesic action butanol leaf extracts have shown Vol 4(3) May-June 2005 163 Review Article protection, whereas, none of root extract stabilizing activity and bronchial smooth and congestion microscopically. Dyspnoea has shown protection against maximal muscle relaxing activity (Nair & Saraf, noticed mostly after 12 hours of the electro shock (MES) seizures. Petroleum 1995). Similarly various parts especially administration of the extract likely to have root extract could only provide protection leaf and root extracts have shown activity been caused by cardiac toxicity in the form against Leptazole induced convulsions against rheumatism (Bhattacharya, 1981) of vascular dilatation and haemorrhage (Ravishankar et al, 1985, 1986) whereas, and poliomylities (Nair et al, 1988). It appears to be major cause of mortality in methanolic leaf extract showed significant has been found to be hepatoprotective their study. protection against Strychnine and (Avadhoot & Rana, 1991), diuretic Leptazole induced convulsions (Gupta et (Vohora & Khan, 1981), antifilarial Recommended Dosage al, 1999). Gupta and Tandon (2002) not (Parveen, 1991), antibacterial (Perumal only suggested anticonvulsant activity of Samy et al, 1998), antimalarial Almost all its parts like leaves, ethanolic leaf extract of this plant but also (Pushpalata & Muthukrishnan, 1995) and roots, bark, fruits, flowers and seeds are indicated that it can potentiate the effects antiandrogenic/antifertility (Lal et al, employed for medicinal purpose and can of standard anticonvulsants, which may 1992) agent. be used medicinally in the form of powder, help to reduce dose and dose related side decoction, juice, oil, tincture, sugar/ effects of standard anticonvulsants. Insecticidal and Pesticidal activities water/honey paste, dry extract. Doses Antioxidant activity recommended, in adults are: juice, The plant products of 10-20 ml; decoction, 50-100ml; leaves The antioxidant activity of the V. negundo are variously reported to powder, 1.5-3g; dry leaves extract, plant was studied using free radical possess insecticidal activity against